Ball-retrieving golf putter &amp; ball

ABSTRACT

R. Jerome Miller&#39;s new invention consists of a simple magnet embedded in the handle of the putting club, near the tip of the handle. The golf ball has a magnetic metal or plastic substance in its core, or integrated in the said ball&#39;s covering. This metal or other substance is responsive to the force of magnetism, while itself not being a magnet. When Miller&#39;s improved golf ball is putted into a golf course&#39;s green&#39;s cup, the player simply turns the putter upside down, sticks the handle into the cup, the ball clings to the putter&#39;s handle tip, and the golfer lifts the ball out of the cup and into said player&#39;s hand, all without the inconvenience of physically bending down.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/531,789, filed 2003 Dec. 22 by the present inventor.

BACKGROUND—FIELD

This invention relates to golf putting clubs and golf balls in particular including, but not limited to, putters and golf balls under the patent classification 473.

BACKGROUND—PRIOR ART

Relevant prior art includes the Haskell rubber-core golf ball patented Apr. 11, 1899; The James W. Smith golf ball which was patented Dec. 15, 1908 (No. 906,664); and the Bartsch hard-cover golf ball patented Apr. 11, 1967. Reference should be made to Pruitt (U.S. Pat. No. 2,979,335); Erickson (U.S. Pat. No. 5,759,117); Piazza (U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,068); Cole (U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,,617); and Luther (U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,953), in addition. However, the present inventor Miller maintains that none of the prior art dealing with golf putters and golf balls encompass or anticipate Miller's vision for these two said sporting utensils.

BACKGROUND—OBJECTS &ADVANTAGES

R. Jerome Miller's invention is different from all others in that it involves only golf putters and no other type of golf club, and it involves only golf balls which are to be used exclusively with Miller's improved putter. When said improved golf ball is putted into a golf course green's cup, the golfer simply (a) turns the putter upside down, (b) sticks the handle into said cup, and (c) lifts the ball out of the cup into said golfer's hand, all without the nuisance of bending down.

ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The magnet-in-the-handle concept for Miller's improved putter is designed to retrieve a golf ball from a golf course green's cup. The same effect could be achieved by means of a twist-grip type of mechanism, whereby three or more resilient retractable wire “grabbers” would (a) extend out from the putter's handle's tip, (b) embrace the ball, and (c) lift the ball out of the cup. As Miller has already mentioned the ball could be made to be reactive to a magnetic force by various methods, including, but not limited to, a steel or other magnetically responsive metal or plastic substance which would be embedded in the golf ball, i.e. placed in the core of the ball, or placed within the rubber wrappings of which a golf ball is made, or alternatively placed within the outer covering of said ball. The magnetically affected metal need not necessarily be a sphere, as in the shape of a steel ball-bearing, for example. The accompanying drawings illustrate the best mode of the Ball-Retrieving Putter & Ball.

SUMMARY

R. Jerome Miller's invention is a simple yet novel means of making the game of golf more pleasurable and efficient for all players of the game.

DRAWINGS:

FIG. 1—Illustrates an improved golf putter handle (handgrip) with magnet embedded near or at tip of handle.

FIG. 2—Illustrates an improved golf ball with a magnetically reactive metal, or other material, embedded in golf ball which is responsive to the force of magnetism, whereby the golf ball would be able to cling to the handle tip of my improved golf putter.

FIG. 3—Illustrates a golfer holding an upside down putting club that has just lifted an improved golf ball out of a golf course green's cup by method of clinging to a handle tip of my improved golf putter by magnetic attraction. 

1. A mechanical method of retrieving a novel putted golf ball from a golf course green's cup, without requiring a golfer to bend down to retrieve said ball by hand, utilizing a novel golf putter, comprising: (a) a golf ball reconfigured in a manufacturing process to include a magnet-attracting metallic or other magnet-sensitive material anywhere within said golf ball, including said ball's outer covering, and (b) a golf putter reconfigured in a manufacturing process to include a magnet of sufficient size, embedded in said putter's handgrip near the tip of said putter's handgrip, to cause said novel golf ball in (a) to cling to the tip of said handgrip when said putter's handgrip is stuck into said putting green's cup which contains said novel golf ball in (a), whereby a golfer can putt said novel golf ball into a golf course putting green's cup and retrieve said ball with said putter without enduring the tiresome, repetitive drudgery of bending over to retrieve said ball by hand, therefore allowing the game of golf to be more pleasurable and efficient for said golfer. 